Chapter 121: Abandoning Ship

Arriving in the Central Plains and then departing again—the entire stay lasted no more than three days. Such a rapid pace left Liu Pan struggling to keep up, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his thoughts were in a state of disarray.

As an author who had read countless fantasy novels and written several himself, he was well-versed in the tropes and narrative patterns of the genre. Usually, he could easily extrapolate the trajectory of a story just by seeing the beginning. Yet, he found that none of his speculations aligned with the situation before him.

In all honesty, before leaving the Central Plains, Liu Pan had never doubted his initial judgment. Even when he sensed that powerful divine consciousness at the inn in Nanyan City, he felt his assessment was confirmed. He had always believed that the secret hidden behind the "Extreme Cold Physique" was buried in the Central Plains and linked to one or several of the "supreme" powers on the Tianfeng Continent. And yet, the place he was being taken to now was the Northern Plains; the Central Plains had been nothing more than a stopover.

What was going on? The Northern Plains? Could this be related to the long-declined Gu Clan? Watching the giant waves beginning to surge on the distant sea, Liu Pan felt increasingly bewildered.

In the book he had written, the Gu Clan had rarely appeared and had shown nothing particularly special. Now that he had transmigrated into his own novel, if he hadn't been born into the once-supreme Fire-attribute Liu Clan, possessed an Ice-attribute spiritual root, and coincidentally discovered that his mother was of the Gu Clan, he would never have given them a second thought.

Initially, it was just a passing thought, but now, as they set out for the Northern Plains, his speculations about the Gu Clan were exploding. Perhaps the clan was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

In an inconspicuous corner on the edge of the airship's deck, the young man who had been watching the surging waves turned his gaze toward the middle-aged man standing beside him, who was also staring out at the sea. A strange look flashed deep within his eyes.

The young man was Liu Pan, and the middle-aged man was Li Tu. For some unknown reason, before boarding the airship to the Northern Plains, Li Tu had used a disguise on himself and on Liu Pan as well. Liu Pan, naturally, had no right to object. The two of them had then transformed into a pair that would go unnoticed in any crowd and boarded the ship, remaining in that state ever since.

A moment later, as the waves grew more turbulent, Li Tu withdrew his gaze and looked around. Seeing that many passengers were already returning to the cabins, he spoke, "Let's go. Back to the cabin; the storm is coming soon."

As he spoke, Li Tu began walking toward the cabin. Liu Pan had no objections and followed him inside.

Their new journey had only just begun, and this ocean crossing would likely take another three months. Beyond the final destination and what might await them there, the thing Liu Pan pondered most was his own cultivation level.

He couldn't be certain about the destination, but he had been suppressing his cultivation for quite some time now.

Regarding the advancement of cultivation realms, Liu Pan had yet to encounter any bottlenecks. In fact, after completely consolidating his cultivation at the pinnacle of the Martial Master realm, a faint crack had already appeared on the Yuan Core within his body.

The Yuan Core nurtures the spirit, like a silkworm breaking its cocoon to become a butterfly. Just like hatching an egg, the moment the Yuan Spirit emerges from the core is a rebirth, and the cultivator subsequently steps into the Martial King realm.

Some cultivators spend their entire lives unable to enter the Martial King realm, while others require only a single thought. Liu Pan belonged to the latter.

However, though he could break through with a single thought, he dared not do so. After all, they were at sea, and his situation was truly unique.

An inability to break through meant no progress. Including the three months spent on the previous crossing, Liu Pan had seen his cultivation stagnate for nearly half a year.

Half a year was enough for many things to happen. What Liu Pan was most certain of was that the gap between him and Liu Kuang would only continue to widen.

In truth, even if he could undergo the tribulation and break through, it was impossible to cultivate on the ocean-crossing airship. The constant, violent tossing meant that if he were interrupted, he would easily suffer a backlash of Yuan power. Running the risk of going insane was not worth the gain.

In the blink of an eye, nearly three months slipped away.

The airship had been heading north, and with the heightened senses of a cultivator, one could clearly feel the temperature dropping, now nearing the freezing point. Many realized that in two or three days, they would arrive at the Northern Plains.

Ordinary temperatures had little effect on cultivators; with a single thought and the circulation of internal Yuan power, they could ward off the cold. Liu Pan, however, was indifferent to the chill. He did not use his techniques to repel it, for due to his constitution, he found the cold quite refreshing.

In these recent days, Li Tu had developed another behavior that puzzled Liu Pan: he would frequently leave the cabin alone to go to the deck, though it was unclear what he was doing there.

That evening, as usual, Li Tu returned to the cabin after a turn on the deck. For some reason, Liu Pan felt there was an inexplicable look in Li Tu’s eyes, which struck him as strange.

At night, a full moon hung high in the sky, though it was obscured by many drifting clouds, far from a clear, starry night. It seemed likely there would be a downpour in the latter half of the night.

While resting, Liu Pan was awakened by Li Tu. Li Tu then rendered the Fire-Sun Sparrow unconscious, tucked it into his robe, and signaled for Liu Pan to follow. The two left the cabin and arrived at an inconspicuous spot on the edge of the deck.

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Li Tu casually reached out and placed a hand on Liu Pan’s shoulder. In an instant, Liu Pan’s body stiffened, and he lost control of his own movements.

Liu Pan was stunned. What was happening? Yet, no one answered him; Li Tu’s gaze remained fixed on the moon.

About a quarter of an hour later, clouds obscured the moonlight, plunging the world into darkness. The moment the light was blocked, Liu Pan felt his feet lighten, and he heard the rushing of wind in his ears.

Two breaths later, Li Tu’s voice rang out: "Do not circulate your energy. I will carry you as we fly."

As Li Tu’s voice faded, Liu Pan felt his body loosen; he regained the ability to move and felt his feet land on something solid.

At that moment, Liu Pan turned to look at the massive shadow in the distance that was growing ever smaller, finally realizing what had happened, though he remained bewildered.

He had wondered earlier why Li Tu had knocked the Fire-Sun Sparrow unconscious and tucked it away; now it seemed he had planned to take him off the airship.

But why? They were still at sea, and it was another day or two’s journey to the Northern Plains. Leaving now seemed far too early.

One had to realize that even though they weren't far from the Northern Plains, encountering anything now would be extremely dangerous—a single misstep could cost them their lives.

While Liu Pan was still lost in thought, Li Tu was already carrying him away from the ship on his sword. Immediately after, Liu Pan saw Li Tu pull a circular navigation compass from his storage ring...